A Philippines flight attendant found dead in a lavish hotel earlier this month reportedly had signs of sexual assault, but an autopsy report indicates that she was not raped and died of natural causes.
The Manila Times reports that according to a completed autopsy report by the Southern Police District Crime Laboratory, 23-year-old flight crew member, Christine Angelica Dacera, died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Dacera was found unresponsive on January 1, in a bathtub at the Garden City Hotel in Makati City, Philippines. Dacera was supposed to be celebrating with friends when the incident occurred.
Dacera’s body had bruising, cuts, and signs of sexual assault, according to Makati City police chief Col. Harold Depositar.
“The victim had lacerations and sperm in her genitalia,” Depositar said, adding that semen was found “in multiple places in the hotel rooms.”
The autopsy, however, indicated that there were “no evident signs of injury” during the examination and that Dacera’s hymen showed the “presence of deep healed lacerations (underscoring mine — RT) at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock position.”
The autopsy report did not mention whether semen was found on Dacera, as previously claimed by authorities.
Eleven men were provisionally charged for murdering and raping Dacera, although the prosecutor’s office released the only three that had been physically arrested from custody. The prosecutor’s office said that despite police statements, there was no evidence of semen found on Dacera.
The prosecutor’s office previously told authorities to submit a DNA analysis report and related reports to determine the official cause of death.
“I find it absurd and stupid,” de Guzman said. “What made them [investigators] think we could ever be capable of doing this?”
“Everyone invited in that room was gay…She felt safe and secure.”
According to de Guzman, Dacera was friends with several men who attended the hotel party. They were flight attendant buddies, de Guzman said, who had a tradition of spending holidays together, due to their work travel. He added that according to his knowledge, rape never happened and he didn’t see any unusual marks or bruises on Dacera.
“My impression of her is she likes to hang out with us LGBT members. She’s comfortable with us. The entire time she was really comfortable with every one of us,” de Guzman said in a different interview with ABS-CBN News.
“For me, I’ve never had sexual relations with a woman. I’ve never been aroused by a woman. Always a man. Many can testify to that.”
Another suspect, identified as Valentine Rosales, 23, was seen on hotel security footage kissing Dacera. Rosales explained that Dacera grabbed him and started kissing him as he tried to get into the hotel room.
“I was trying to open the door. I rang the doorbell. She was the one who grabbed me,” Rosales said, according to Yahoo News. “I rang the doorbell but I dodged, I sidestepped her.”
Another suspect, Rommel Galido, found Dacera in the bathtub at around 10 a.m. on January 1. He told authorities that he put a blanket over her and went back to sleep. He said when he woke up a few hours later, he found Dacera unresponsive and turning blue.
Galido told investigators that he called for help and the hotel staff tried to revive her. Peter Paul Ponongcos, the security chief at the hotel, conducted CPR on Dacera before she was rushed to the Makati Medical Clinic, where she was pronounced dead.
“The management of said hotel requested a rescue team from Barangay Poblacion but to no avail, hence, they decided to bring Ms. Dacera on board their private vehicle but the latter declared dead upon arrival to the hospital,” a police report read.
Dacera’s family told local reporters that they think she was forced to take illegal drugs. The family is now mulling over filing a suit against the hotel for allowing a party to happen, which is reportedly a health protocol violation, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mrs. Dacera [the victim’s mother] is contemplating on filing a case against the hotel. The hotel allowed 9 to 10 individuals at Room 2209 and seven persons in another room –2207. We believe that is against the regulations of the IATF for the operations of hotels,” lawyer Roger Reyes told reporters.
It’s unclear if the charges against the suspects will be dropped. Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is our latest episode.
[Featured Photo: Christine Dacera/Facebook]
